2011-33650. Findings of Research Misconduct

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) has taken final action in the following case:

Jennifer Jamieson, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University: Based on the report of an investigation conducted by the State University of New York, Upstate Medical University (SUNY US) and additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Ms. Jennifer Jamieson, former graduate student, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, SUNY US, engaged in research misconduct in research supported by National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant R01 GM047607-18A1, and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH, grants R01 HL70244-05.

ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct by falsifying data that were included in grant application R01 GM047607-18A1, in a manuscript submitted for publication to the Journal of Cell Biology, and in several interdepartmental data presentations. Specifically, ORI found that:

• Respondent falsified Figure 1A in a manuscript submitted for publication to the Journal of Cell Biology, by altering immunoprecipitation Western blot data to make this experiment appear that no Vav2 SH2 was associated with PKL 3YF, when in fact it did. In addition, the Respondent falsified five figures depicting Western blots of similar experiments in four laboratory meeting presentations. The purpose of the falsifications was to show that the experimental results were as described when they were not, or to show that the results were of greater significance than they actually were.
• Respondent falsified Figure 3I in a manuscript submitted for publication to the Journal of Cell Biology by falsely labeling a Western blot to indicate levels of expression for various Vav2 mutants, when the experimental data were taken from a completely unrelated experiment.
• Respondent falsified Figure 6A in an interdepartmental laboratory presentation by falsifying Western blot data to falsely depict Paxillin and Hic-5 expression and phosphorylation levels after siRNA treatment.
• Respondent falsified Figure 5 from NIGMS, NIH, grant application GM047607-18A1, by falsifying Western blot data to support the hypothesis that co-transfection of PKL plus RhoA GEF Vav2 induces RhoA activation and signaling upon plating on fibronectin.

Ms. Jamieson has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement (Agreement). Ms Jamieson neither admits nor denies ORI's finding of scientific misconduct nor any particular finding of fact asserted in support of that finding. The settlement is not an admission of liability on the part of the Respondent.

Ms. Jamieson has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, beginning on December 20, 2011:

(1) To have her research supervised if employed by an institution that receives or applies for U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) funding; Respondent agrees that prior to the submission of an application for PHS support for a research project on which the Respondent's participation is proposed and prior to Respondent's participation in any capacity on PHS-supported research, Respondent shall ensure that a plan for supervision of her duties is submitted to ORI for approval; the supervision plan must be designed to ensure the scientific integrity of Respondent's research contribution; Respondent agrees that she shall not participate in any PHS-supported research until such a supervision plan is submitted to and approved by ORI; Respondent agrees to maintain responsibility for compliance with the agreed upon supervision plan;

(2) that any institution employing her shall submit, in conjunction with each application for PHS funds, or report, manuscript, or abstract involving PHS supported research in which Respondent is involved, a certification to ORI that the data provided by Respondent are based on actual experiments or are otherwise legitimately derived and that the data, procedures, and methodology were accurately reported in the application, report, manuscript, or abstract; and

(3) to exclude herself from serving in any advisory capacity to PHS including, but not limited to, service on any PHS advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or as a consultant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Director, Division of Investigative Oversight, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 750, Rockville, MD 20852, [phone].

John Dahlberg,

Director, Division of Investigative Oversight, Office of Research Integrity.